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Talking Black Holes with Astrophysicist Katie Mack

By Brian Malow On the heels of the recent announcement by the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration of the first-ever image of a supermassive black hole, I interviewed astrophysicist Katie Mack about the new image and black holes in general. Katie is an assistant professor of physics at NC State and a member of the university’s Leadership in Public Science …

Vast Expanses of Rock on Earth’s Surface May Act Like a Natural Solar Panel

By Yasemin Saplakoglu Scientists have found electricity flowing in an unexpected place — across the surfaces of rocks. Mineral coatings on rocks turn sunlight into electricity, turning on like a light switch when the sun hits them, according to a study published April 22 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Plants use …

Court Upholds Philadelphia’s Stance Against Anti-Gay Foster Care Agencies

By David G. McAfee Finally, something we can celebrate. The city of Philadelphia’s decision not to send foster children to agencies that refuse to work with same-sex couples was unanimously vindicated by an appellate court. A local Republican may have said not sending kids to such faith-based agencies amounted to “anti-religious” discrimination, but the Third Circuit Court …

Mick Mulvaney: Faith is driving many Trump administration policies

By Jack Jenkins White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney declared at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday (April 23) that faith drives the Trump administration’s policy proposals, arguing that “the principles of our faith (are) being manifest” under the president’s watch. Also in attendance at the breakfast — a largely conservative religious gathering …

Scientists: We kept pig brains alive 10 hours after death. Bioethicists: “Holy shit.”

By Brian Resnick Around 15 minutes after a mammal’s brain is cut off from oxygen, the organ is supposed to die. Without life-giving oxygen, the cells of the brain quickly starve. Some of the cells burst open, while the chemistry of others becomes so imbalanced that their membranes break down. This frenzied spiral ends one …

U.S. Church Membership Down Sharply in Past Two Decades

By Jeffrey M. Jones As Christian and Jewish Americans prepare to celebrate Easter and Passover, respectively, Gallup finds the percentage of Americans who report belonging to a church, synagogue or mosque at an all-time low, averaging 50% in 2018. U.S. church membership was 70% or higher from 1937 through 1976, falling modestly to an average …

How Should France Rebuild Notre Dame?

By EJ Dickson Yesterday, the world watched in open-mouthed horror as Notre Dame Cathedral, an 800-year-old monument in Paris, France, burst into flames. As the Paris fire department scrambled to save the priceless relics and artworks inside, French officials gradually started to take inventory of what had been recovered from the wreckage and what had been lost …

Organized religion is losing its followers

By Jennifer Rubin CNN reports, “For the first time ‘No Religion’ has topped a survey of Americans’ religious identity, according to a new analysis by a political scientist. The non-religious edged out Catholics and evangelicals in the long-running General Social Survey.” Ryan Burge, a political scientist at Eastern Illinois University and a Baptist pastor, found …

Part-revived pig brains raise slew of ethical quandaries

By Nita A. Farahany, Henry T. Greely, and Charles M. Giattino Scientists have restored and preserved some cellular activities and structures in the brains of pigs that had been decapitated for food production four hours before. The researchers saw circulation in major arteries and small blood vessels, metabolism and responsiveness to drugs at the cellular …